CLIFTON - A known homeless man has been charged with murder and attempted murder after police said he stabbed two Clifton men, killing one of them in front of the Hallmark store in the Richfield Shopping Center on Allwood Road early on Monday.

Clifton police officers investigating the double stabbing at the Richfield Shopping Center at Clifton Avenue and Allwood Road early Monday morning. An off duty Nutley police officer subdued a known homeless man during the stabbing. The suspect, charged with murder and attempted murder, was identified as Henry "Hank" Werner, 61, pictured below. Bystanders stepped in to help the victims until Clifton's first responders arrived on scene. Manuel Canete, Jr. shot the photo above of the scene shortly after Clifton police arrived around 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning. A woman who was doing her laundry with Canete is pictured applying pressure to the wounds suffered by 80-year-old victim Clarence Wispelwey. Clifton EMTs quickly took over caring for the victim upon arrival. Wespelwey is recovering at a local hospital.

Henry "Hank" Werner, 61, homeless, was arrested and questioned by Clifton detectives as well as the Passaic County Prosecutor's office, said detective Sgt. Robert Bracken, spokesman for the Clifton Police Department.

The Prosecutor's office announced late on Monday that Werner was charged with murder, attempted murder, and weapons possession.

At about 7:20 a.m. on Monday, Clifton police officers responded to the shopping center at Clifton Avenue and Allwood Road where off duty Nutley police Officer David Strus had "subdued" the suspect, Bracken said.

The off duty police officer exited a shop in the shopping center and witnessed Werner stabbing the victims, Bracken said, adding he intervened and subdued Werner until Clifton officers arrived on scene.

Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes, in a press release, identified the deceased victim as 67-year-old Clifton resident Paul Baker and the wounded victim as 80-year-old Clarence Wispelwey. A joint investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the Clifton Police Department Detective Bureau and the Passaic County Prosecutor's office Homicide Unit with the assistance of the Passaic County Sheriff's office Crime Scene Investigations Unit.

Baker had stopped in to get coffee at the Dunkin' Donuts with Wispelwey before heading off to work as a landscaper.

Both victims were transported to the hospital, Bracken said, but Baker died shortly after while Wispelwey suffered "serious bodily injury" and is being treated. The attack at this time, Bracken said, appears to have been "unprovoked," and the motive unknown. He said the two victims were walking on the sidewalk in front of the shops and when they reached the Hallmark store, Werner attacked them with a knife, Bracken said, adding that's when the off duty officer intervened.

"Nutley Officer Strus did a tremendous job reacting to the situation," Bracken said, adding "he could have resorted to using his sidearm, but he realized he could have jeopardized innocent bystanders in the area and opted to disarm the suspect with physical force and restrain him until Clifton officers arrived." Bracken said it took "tremendous restraint" on the part of Officer Strus.

On Tuesday afternoon Al Petracco, Nutley's mayor, who is also the township's police commissioner, called Strus a hero.

"It was no surprise to me that it was Officer Strus who rose to the occasion," Petracco said, adding "In my eyes, he saved a lot of lives...he's a hero and a remarkable man."

Petracco said Strus, in his 40s, has been a Nutley officer for about 20 years.

"I can't tell you how lucky Nutley is to have Officer Strus," Petracco said. "On a professional level I am very proud of Dave and on a personal level, this makes me tear up."

Petracco said he has spoken to Strus about the incident but would not discuss the details instead saying it's a crime investigation and it's up to the prosecutor's office to release that information. He did say that in his conversation with the officer, Strus told him he was just doing his job as a police officer and didn't want to make "a big issue out of it."

"To me, he's a hero...not too many people could rise up to the occasion like Officer Strus did on Monday," Petracco said.

Bracken said Werner was known to police for minor incidents in the past and the fact that he's been homeless and "hanging around" the Richfield Shopping Center for years.

There was no personal relationship between the victims and the suspect, Bracken said, adding Werner may have known one of the men by first name only, but didn't even know each other enough to be called "acquaintances."

According to the Prosecutor's office, a preliminary investigation revealed Werner began to attack Baker by stabbing him with a knife outside the shopping center. Wispelwey who is acquainted with Baker attempted to assist and Werner then began to stab him as well. While the suspect was stabbing Wispelwey, Officer Strus observed the assault and intervened, disarming the suspect and placing him into custody. Officer Strus, who was off duty and in plain clothes during the incident, is a 19-year veteran of the Nutley Police Department. The surviving victim is in stable condition at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson.

Most shop employees and many customers in the area on Monday morning also said they know Werner, whom they call "Hank."

Debbie Roon, who works at the Town Wash Tub said "Hank" has been homeless for many years but added "he's not a stupid man." She said she heard he once worked for Hoffmann-La Roche as "some kind of scientist or lab technician." She said he was laid off about 30 years ago. Roon said she allowed Werner to sit in the laundry shop many times and he never caused any trouble.

She said he was gone for about a month, but returned last Tuesday. She said she heard he was in some kind of boarding house on Broadway in Passaic.

Roon said she arrived to work early on Monday and saw "Hank" sitting on a bench in the area at about 6:20 a.m. He left to get coffee and she said she went about her work until she saw the police on scene and "Hank" in custody. She said she heard an off duty Nutley police officer pulled "Hank" off the landscaper right outside the Hallmark store.

"When I saw him early this morning I almost told him to take his duffle bag from under the bench with him...I'm glad I didn't he might have stabbed me," Roon said. She did say she was surprised to hear that "Hank" had become violent.

Roon said "Hank" used to hand around Foodies, a restaurant around the corner from the laundry shop, but after it closed in January, he was sort of displaced and was looking for other places to go.

Other shopping center employees agreed with Roon and said he was always nice.

Two employees at the Hallmark shop said the store opened at 10 a.m. and no one was in the shop at the time of the stabbings. Both young female employees said they knew who "Hank" was and he was always hanging around the area. They both said they didn't know him personally.

Employees of Dunkin' Donuts said Werner had been in to get coffee at 6:38 a.m. but he left shortly after. Two Clifton residents, regulars who sit in the coffee shop, said they have seen Werner, also known to them as "Hank" in the area for numerous years. One of the customers who lives in the Richfield apartments across from the shopping center, said he has seen "Hank" walking around the area for about 20 or so years. He said at times "Hank" would talk to himself and only one time he saw him angry and yelling at no one in particular.

Another customer, a Polish woman who also regularly sits in the Dunkin' Donuts said "Hank" was a smart man. She too said he at one time worked for the pharmaceutical giant Hoffmann-La Roche. Both customers said they were surprised to hear "Hank" had turned violent.

Werner's ex-wife reached out to Clifton Journal after the story was published on northjersey.com and said, via email, that she and the children didn't just pack up and leave him behind as had been reported. She said the family, including Hank moved to Florida in 1990, but Hank moved back to New Jersey in 1991 following the couple's divorce. Werner had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was taking medication, according to his ex-wife, who asked that her name not be published. She also said she and the children have continued to be in touch with Hank since he moved back to New Jersey.

Bracken said he did not yet have all of Werner's history and could not confirm any of the information given by shop employees.

A man who answered the Baker home telephone identified himself as the family representative and said there would be no comment from the family.

Clifton police officers investigating the double stabbing at the Richfield Shopping Center at Clifton Avenue and Allwood Road early Monday morning. An off duty Nutley police officer subdued a known homeless man during the stabbing. The suspect, charged with murder and attempted murder, was identified as Henry "Hank" Werner, 61, pictured below. Bystanders stepped in to help the victims until Clifton's first responders arrived on scene. Manuel Canete, Jr. shot the photo above of the scene shortly after Clifton police arrived around 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning. A woman who was doing her laundry with Canete is pictured applying pressure to the wounds suffered by 80-year-old victim Clarence Wispelwey. Clifton EMTs quickly took over caring for the victim upon arrival. Wespelwey is recovering at a local hospital.

CLIFTON - A known homeless man has been charged with murder and attempted murder after police said he stabbed two Clifton men, killing one of them in front of the Hallmark store in the Richfield Shopping Center on Allwood Road early on Monday.

Henry "Hank" Werner, 61, homeless, was arrested and questioned by Clifton detectives as well as the Passaic County Prosecutor's office, said detective Sgt. Robert Bracken, spokesman for the Clifton Police Department.

The Prosecutor's office announced late on Monday that Werner was charged with murder, attempted murder, and weapons possession.

At about 7:20 a.m. on Monday, Clifton police officers responded to the shopping center at Clifton Avenue and Allwood Road where off duty Nutley police Officer David Strus had "subdued" the suspect, Bracken said.

The off duty police officer exited a shop in the shopping center and witnessed Werner stabbing the victims, Bracken said, adding he intervened and subdued Werner until Clifton officers arrived on scene.

Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes, in a press release, identified the deceased victim as 67-year-old Clifton resident Paul Baker and the wounded victim as 80-year-old Clarence Wispelwey. A joint investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the Clifton Police Department Detective Bureau and the Passaic County Prosecutor's office Homicide Unit with the assistance of the Passaic County Sheriff's office Crime Scene Investigations Unit.

Baker had stopped in to get coffee at the Dunkin' Donuts with Wispelwey before heading off to work as a landscaper.

Both victims were transported to the hospital, Bracken said, but Baker died shortly after while Wispelwey suffered "serious bodily injury" and is being treated. The attack at this time, Bracken said, appears to have been "unprovoked," and the motive unknown. He said the two victims were walking on the sidewalk in front of the shops and when they reached the Hallmark store, Werner attacked them with a knife, Bracken said, adding that's when the off duty officer intervened.

"Nutley Officer Strus did a tremendous job reacting to the situation," Bracken said, adding "he could have resorted to using his sidearm, but he realized he could have jeopardized innocent bystanders in the area and opted to disarm the suspect with physical force and restrain him until Clifton officers arrived." Bracken said it took "tremendous restraint" on the part of Officer Strus.

On Tuesday afternoon Al Petracco, Nutley's mayor, who is also the township's police commissioner, called Strus a hero.

"It was no surprise to me that it was Officer Strus who rose to the occasion," Petracco said, adding "In my eyes, he saved a lot of lives...he's a hero and a remarkable man."

Petracco said Strus, in his 40s, has been a Nutley officer for about 20 years.

"I can't tell you how lucky Nutley is to have Officer Strus," Petracco said. "On a professional level I am very proud of Dave and on a personal level, this makes me tear up."

Petracco said he has spoken to Strus about the incident but would not discuss the details instead saying it's a crime investigation and it's up to the prosecutor's office to release that information. He did say that in his conversation with the officer, Strus told him he was just doing his job as a police officer and didn't want to make "a big issue out of it."

"To me, he's a hero...not too many people could rise up to the occasion like Officer Strus did on Monday," Petracco said.

Bracken said Werner was known to police for minor incidents in the past and the fact that he's been homeless and "hanging around" the Richfield Shopping Center for years.

There was no personal relationship between the victims and the suspect, Bracken said, adding Werner may have known one of the men by first name only, but didn't even know each other enough to be called "acquaintances."

According to the Prosecutor's office, a preliminary investigation revealed Werner began to attack Baker by stabbing him with a knife outside the shopping center. Wispelwey who is acquainted with Baker attempted to assist and Werner then began to stab him as well. While the suspect was stabbing Wispelwey, Officer Strus observed the assault and intervened, disarming the suspect and placing him into custody. Officer Strus, who was off duty and in plain clothes during the incident, is a 19-year veteran of the Nutley Police Department. The surviving victim is in stable condition at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson.

Most shop employees and many customers in the area on Monday morning also said they know Werner, whom they call "Hank."

Debbie Roon, who works at the Town Wash Tub said "Hank" has been homeless for many years but added "he's not a stupid man." She said she heard he once worked for Hoffmann-La Roche as "some kind of scientist or lab technician." She said he was laid off about 30 years ago. Roon said she allowed Werner to sit in the laundry shop many times and he never caused any trouble.

She said he was gone for about a month, but returned last Tuesday. She said she heard he was in some kind of boarding house on Broadway in Passaic.